Before SoCal, I was living on the East coast and working out meant being in a gym or braving a run in the cold, wind or rain – sometimes my teeth and nose felt like they were frozen! When I moved to SoCal, my environment for living and working out changed as did my diet and my appreciation for coconut water.

Don’t forget to head on over to my Facebook page today for my giveaway 🙂

During my first years in SoCal when I was still enjoying my running days, I swear coconut water was a miracle drink. I’d come back from a super fast run or an LSD (long slow distance) and I’d have some coconut water and felt amazing. I compare it to when you’ve had too much to drink the night before, but find the right thing to eat or drink and suddenly your head feels lighter. Coconut water is like that.  I feel it’s a great hangover cure for your head and body for so many things in life – after a workout, when you’re tired, when you’re sick, when you’re drained from studying, when you’ve been put on antibiotics or have endured surgery. Similarly, I’m currently nursing and need to stay hydrated, but I’ve always drunk a lot of water. Every so often water becomes a bit boring and I need a little fix of coconut water to do the rehydrating.

Did you know that coconut water is rich in electrolytes such as potassium, magnesium and calcium? Coconut water is another good reason to throw away the Gatorade (often sports drinks are high-FODMAP) and hydrate naturally

And coconut water doesn’t have to be imbibed straight from the can either (although who doesn’t love doing that). I personally love using coconut water for popsicles (see recipe below), smoothies, fruit-infused water, cocktails, baking and cooking (think Thai fried coconut rice or coconut vinaigrette).

So when you think about making your next coconut concoction, you’re probably aware of the several brands of coconut water available for the taking. Recently I had the opportunity to review Amy & Brian’s Coconut Water and just loved all the different recipes I tried and how delicious their coconut water mixed in and complemented the other ingredients. Here’s a little info about this brand before I share my recipe:

At my house we have coconut water on hand almost all the time. We either buy Zico from Costco or C2O from Amazon but after trying Amy & Brian’s it’s clear we’ve been missing out on taste.

Check out this article 7 More Reasons To Drink Coconut Water

The juice from Amy & Brian’s coconut water comes from young coconuts in the perfect coconut climate – Thailand. Coconut water from Thailand verses other countries will yield a more sweet and flavorful taste. If you’re big into coconut water and yet aren’t particularly excited about any brands you’ve tried thus far, give Amy & Brian’s coconut water a try. Amy & Brian’s is 100% natural and never from concentrate. Their water is in fact non-GMO but at the moment they are not certified to say so on their label.

*Amy & Brian GIVEAWAY on Facebook today – Enter by commenting on the post featuring the cans of Amy & Brian’s coconut water.  One U.S. winner will receive a case of Amy & Brian’s coconut water!  Good luck!

Enjoy my NEW recipe below!

Low-FODMAP Coconut Cream Papaya Popsicles

6 Servings

Notes: This recipe will yield a little over 2 cups.  I used 6 small popsicle molds which held about a 1/3 cup each.  *A low-FODMAP serving of coconut water (fresh or packaged) is 100ml or a little under half a cup.  For the coconut cream take a can of coconut milk and turn it upside down in your refrigerator and chill over night.  On the next day, open the can and scoop out the luscious coconut cream that has separated from the coconut milk.

• 6 teaspoons + 1 tablespoon unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup Amy & Brian’s Coconut Water with Cinnamon
• 1 cup chopped fresh papaya
• 4 tablespoons coconut cream from can of coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup

1. Drop in 1 teaspoon each of unsweetened shredded coconut into bottoms of popsicle stick molds.
2. Add 1 tablespoon unsweetened shredded coconut plus remaining ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour mixture into popsicle stick molds. Insert handles or popsicle sticks into the molds. Freeze for at least 4 hours.
3. To serve, run molds under warm water for 10-15 seconds. Pulling straight up, slide popsicles out of molds.  Enjoy!

Please share your comments! How do you like to enjoy coconut water?

My new book The Everything® Low-FODMAP Diet Cookbook is available for pre-order now!  Get your copy from Amazon: http://goo.gl/wDxqnO, Barnes & Noble: goo.gl/Z8W2e5, Indiebound: goo.gl/VtWxW9 and Target: http://goo.gl/b5kHfA. Publisher: F+W Media. Publish Date: May 6, 2016

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Looking for help on the low-FODMAP diet?  Ask me about my nutritional coaching services by contacting me here.

Be good to yourself and your gut!

Colleen Francioli

*This was a paid review.  The thoughts shared for this review are completely my own.  ~CF